SKOWHEGAN — A local man is set to serve at least seven years in prison for sexually abusing two teenage girls.
Douglas Perkins, 32, who has addresses listed in Skowhegan and Mercer, was sentenced Thursday to 16 years in prison, with all but seven years suspended, to be followed by 10 years of probation.
A jury found Perkins guilty of five Class C counts of sexual abuse of a minor in June.
“These convictions are for offenses that are, frankly, repugnant to any society that cares about its minors,” said Superior Court Chief Justice Robert E. Mullen, who handed down the sentence during a hearing at the Somerset County Superior Court in Skowhegan.
A key question during Thursday’s hearing was whether Mullen could impose consecutive sentences for the five counts, as prosecutors proposed, or whether they had to be concurrent, as Perkins’ lawyers argued. The maximum sentence for a Class C conviction, the lowest level of crimes known as felonies, is five years.
Mullen said he decided on consecutive sentences after reviewing the relevant statute and case law. He found the seriousness of the crimes and that the convictions were based on different criminal episodes to be among the factors outlined in statute that allowed him to impose the consecutive sentences.
Perkins was ordered to comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act as a lifetime registrant; to have no contact with the two victims and two of their family members; to complete sexual offender treatment; and to not use or possess alcohol or marijuana and submit to random searches and testing.
If Perkins is found to violate those conditions during his probation, a judge could order him to serve the suspended nine years of the prison sentence.
Perkins was arrested in June 2024 following an investigation led by Skowhegan police Detective Sgt. Kelly Hooper.
A grand jury indicted him in August 2024 and he pleaded not guilty.
The abuse took place in Skowhegan and Mercer, according to court records.
Perkins was found to have engaged in a sexual act with one of the girls — a relative of his romantic partner at the time — on several occasions between Aug. 1, 2023, and Feb. 27, 2024. She was 14 when the abuse began, court records show.
He was also found to have engaged in a sexual act with the other girl — a friend of the first victim — in February 2024. She was 15 at the time, records show.
The Morning Sentinel does not identify victims of sexual abuse without their consent.
Since the trial, Perkins has been held at the Somerset County Jail in Madison, according to court and jail records.
Timothy Snyder, first assistant district attorney for Somerset County, asked Mullen on Thursday to sentence Perkins to 15 years, with all but 10 years suspended, to be followed by eight years of probation.
Snyder described how Perkins first repeatedly abused the girl related to his then-fiancée over six months, becoming “more and more brazen.” He provided the girl and her friends with alcohol and marijuana, Snyder said.
Later, he sexually abused the other teenage girl, Snyder said. Perkins tried to claim he was the victim in an interview with Hooper and tried to downplay the situation to his then-fiancée, Snyder said.
“Time and time again, over the course of about six months, involving two separate children, the defendant proved that he is a danger to the community and lacks remorse for his actions,” Snyder said.
In a victim impact statement read by an advocate, one of the girls spoke about the anxiety, fear and post-traumatic stress she has experienced since the abuse.
The other girl, the relative of Perkins’ ex-partner, said she feels her family sometimes seems to blame her for what happened, people bullied her in school and she has considered suicide.
“And to you Doug Perkins: I hope you never find peace,” she said. “I hope you never find happiness. I hope you spend every day in prison thinking about what you did.”
Perkins’ ex-fiancée also addressed the court, speaking at length about the damage he has done to her and her sister, as well as the children she has with Perkins.
“We’ll survive without him because we already made it this far,” she said. “The only thing I ask is that (Perkins) is held fully accountable, not just for the girls, but also for his children, who are also victims of this aftermath.”
Micah Charette, one of Perkins’ attorneys, asked for a total prison sentence of five years, with all but three years suspended, and two years of probation. Charette described Perkins as a caring family member and a hard worker with no criminal history.
“We know that the impulse behind too many sentences that drive mass incarceration is the state’s wish to incapacitate people as long as possible in the name of public safety,” he said. “(Perkins) is not a threat to the public.”
Perkins’ mother and a friend both read statements, highlighting Perkins’ positive qualities, such as his trustworthiness, his compassion for the community and his willingness to help others.
Perkins, who was shackled and wearing orange jail clothing, declined to speak in court.
Mullen found that aggravating factors in determining Perkins’ sentence included the impact on the victims and the age of the victims. Mitigating factors included Perkins’ employment history and his lack of criminal past and that the offenses did not involve physical violence or weapons.
Before laying out his sentencing analysis, Mullen departed from his usual procedure, saying he wanted to address the victim impact statements he had just heard.
Mullen told those who spoke that he cannot explain why bad things happen to good people and to minors, and encouraged the two victims to figure out a way to move on from what Perkins did.
“You are incredibly young — certainly to an old judge,” Mullen said. “And, yeah, you’ve been dealt a tough hand, and things happened, but I just hope that you don’t let it control the rest of your life because you have decades to live. And what happens from now on will dictate whether you have a lifelong sentence of yourselves.”
IF YOU NEED HELP
IF YOU or someone you know is in immediate danger, dial 911.
FOR ASSISTANCE during a mental health crisis, call or text 888-568-1112. To call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call 988 or chat online at 988lifeline.org.
FOR MORE SUPPORT, call the NAMI Maine Help Line at 800-464-5767 or email [email protected].
OTHER Maine resources for mental health, substance use disorder and other issues can be found by calling 211.
HOW TO GET HELP
IF YOU or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, you can call 1-800-871-7741 for free and confidential help 24 hours a day.
TO LEARN more about sexual violence prevention and response in Maine, visit the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault website.
IF YOU or someone who you is struggling with a mental health crisis, you can also call the Maine Crisis Line 24 hours a day at 1-888-568-1112.
FOR MORE information about mental health services in Maine, visit the website for the state’s chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
